This invention relates to material handling and more particularly, to improvements to a machine disposing of articles, for example, optical discs.
In many production environments, articles are often produced in batches for particular customers. Although a customer orders a desired quantity of articles, in some applications, it is normal practice to run a batch of articles that is in excess of the desired quantity. Thus, as the articles proceed through the various steps of the production process, if lesser quality or scrap articles are produced, the batch will still have a net yield of articles that is sufficient to ship the desired quantity to the customer. Further, most often, the batch will yield a quantity of good, high quality articles that is in excess of the desired quantity, and those excess articles potentially have full market value. Depending on the articles, their unauthorized distribution may potentially create a liability for the manufacturer. For example, if the articles are optical discs that contain copyrighted music and/or movies, an unauthorized distribution or sale of such excess production discs may be illegal. Therefore, if the excess production discs cannot be sold to the customer, the manufacturer normally disposes of the excess quantity of optical discs. At a minimum, a manufacturer normally destroys the readability of the discs prior to disposal.
There are currently many ways of destroying the readability of optical discs, for example, they can be heated, spindled, cut, mutilated, shredded, microwaved, etc. After destroying their readability, the optical discs can be disposed of in any known manner. It may also be desirable that the process of destroying the readability of the optical discs facilitate a recycling of the optical disc material. Therefore, in facilitate a recycling process, it is desirable to grind, cut or shred the excess optical discs into smaller pieces. However, known commercial equipment capable of physically grinding or shredding optical discs is not conducive to the automatic feeding of optical discs therethrough. Finished optical discs are 1.2 millimeters thick and half discs are 0.6 millimeters thick. These very thin discs are difficult to reliably move along flat surfaces, and they have a tendency to slide under moving parts out of the working volume of the machine. Such discs not only avoid destructive action but can potentially interfere with the proper operation of the machine.
Consequently, there is a need for an article destroying machine that is more reliable and efficient in its handling of very thin articles.
The present invention provides an improved machine for the handling and destroying of thin articles such as optical discs. The apparatus of the present invention improves the feeding of optical discs through a hopper and into an article cutter, thereby shredding the optical disc into smaller pieces. The apparatus of the present invention prevents thin optical discs from escaping from a working volume of the machine. Thus, the apparatus of the present invention is especially useful for those applications in which the optical discs contain copyrighted material and failure to destroy the discs may result in a liability to the manufacturer.
According to the principles of the present invention and in accordance with the preferred embodiments, the invention provides an apparatus for destroying articles that has a cutter rotatably mounted adjacent a feed opening of a chamber containing articles to be destroyed. A ram is mounted in the chamber and is movable in a first direction toward the cutter. A plate forms the bottom surface of the chamber, and the plate has a plurality of grooves extending in the first direction. A wiper is mounted on the front of the ram, and the wiper has a plurality of teeth located in respective grooves in the plate. Thus, the plurality of teeth in the grooves prevent articles from sliding beneath the ram as it pushes articles into the cutter.
In one aspect of the invention, the apparatus further comprises a segmented wiper mounted on a first side wall, the segmented wiper has a length extending across an irregular upper surface of the ram. The segmented wiper further has a plurality of independently movable wiper teeth that are in substantially continuous contact with the irregular upper surface of the ram. Thus, the segmented wiper prevents articles from sliding between the irregular upper surface of the ram and the first side wall as the ram pushes articles into the cutter.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent during the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings herein.